ComBank empowers female farmers in Wellawaya with Financial Literacy seminar

January 4, 2020 January 4, 2020

Pictured here are (Top, from left) Executive Officer of Commercial Bank’s Development Credit Department Mr Deshapriya Batagoda, Wellawaya Branch Manager Mr Sanath Wasanthalal, Central Bank’s Senior Assistant Director Mr Rohitha Abeykoon, Head of Vidatha Resource Centre Moneragala Mr Indika Fonseka and Uwa Wellassa Women’s Society President Ms K. P. Somalatha at the seminar.

The latest Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon focused on empowering women in Handapanagala, Wellawaya, when the Bank in collaboration with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka conducted a seminar for 265 members of the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society.

The participants were mainly cultivators of ground nuts, who additionally grow organic vegetables. Beyond enhancing the financial literacy levels of the members of this Society, the Bank’s objective in conducting this programme was to foster financial inclusivity in this unbanked and under-banked segment.

The resource person for the programme was Mr Rohitha Abeykoon, the Senior Assistant Director of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, who is an experienced speaker on financial literacy and business development.

The programme was attended by the Manager of Commercial Bank’s Wellawaya branch, Mr Sanath Wasanthalal and officials from the Development Credit Department of the Bank. Mr Indika Fonseka, Advisor to the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society and the Head of Vidatha Resource Centre Moneragala Mrs K. P. Somalatha, the Chairperson and other officialsof the Society were also present.

Commercial Bank has organised eight similar programmes in 2019 alone, benefitting 1,056 micro-entrepreneurs.

Formed in 2010 to empower rural women, the Uva Wellassa Women’s Society supports female farmers by facilitating cultivation and purchasing the harvest of its members. This protects the farmers of the Society from exploitation and enables them to sell their produce at competitive prices.

Commercial Bank has been conducting awareness programmes for micro-entrepreneurs in different sectors of business in many areas of the country for the past seven years, and has helped more than 9,000 entrepreneurs to date through this series.

These programmes are supported by the Bank’s 17 Agriculture & Micro Finance Units which play a key role in helping the Bank to identify specific needs of entrepreneurs who require assistance to develop either their agriculture activities or micro businesses. These units are dedicated to promote agriculture lending and micro finance.

Commercial Bank’s Agriculture & Micro Finance Units (AMFU) are located in Ratnapura, Narammala, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Bandarawela, Wellawaya, Hingurakgoda, Galewela, Achchuveli, Vavuniya, Kattankudy, Tissamaharama, Neluwa, Mathugama, Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu.